Lizzie Marsters – CEO @ Starker Forests
Our Herd Freed Hartz executive search team was honored to partner with Starker Forests on a nationwide retained executive search to find their new Chief Executive Officer.
Since 1936, Starker Forests has owned and managed forests, striving for excellence in forest resource stewardship. As a 5th generation family business, Starker owns 95,000 acres of forestland, with a focus on community partnership and reinvestment. For almost a century, Starker Forests has built a solid foundation and culture, with an eye towards continued growth and innovation for generations to come.
Healthy culture – Starker has a strong commitment to living out their values of “Dedicated. Mindful. Innovative.” Starker believes in a triple bottom line approach (financial / social / environment) as they strive to be good stewards of the land, financially sustainable, innovative, and a good neighbor, with a family-friendly office culture and as an advocate for healthy managed forests.
With 95,000 acres of forestland (primarily between Corvallis, OR and the Oregon coast), Starker’s focus is on harvesting larger logs (~50 years) with high market demand from regional wood products companies. Starker has a strong balance sheet, and enjoys a simplified business model that enables a small headquarters team of 20 while utilizing external partners for forest management, harvest, fire- fighting and tree planting operations (500K seedlings planted annually). Starker continues to add approx. 2,000 acres annually to their forestland portfolio.
Community partnership – Starker Forests is a strong community partner through a mix of charitable giving, education, and a strong partnership with OSU College of Forestry. In addition, Starker provides community access to their forestland for mountain biking (Alder Creek Tree Farm), trails, environment and community education, and other recreational uses.
New innovation – Building on the company’s foundation of success and legacy, Starker continues to innovate with a vision for finding new niche markets, forest management practices, community recreational opportunities, and local business impact for the next generation.
This retained executive search project was led by Paul Freed/Managing Partner and Karen Bertiger/Partner.
“Lizzie is a true champion for the things we care about most — sustainable forestry practices, deep community involvement and the cultivation of a strong, supported workforce,” said Anna Starker May, a fourth-generation owner and board member.
“I am thrilled to be joining the Starker Forests family,” Marsters said. “I’m excited to learn from the incredible people here, build on the outstanding work of today, and help lead us into tomorrow. I look forward to bringing my passion for working forests, innovation and community impact to this next chapter at Starker.” (Full article)
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